


New Faces, New Friends

by roadworkaheaduhyeahisurehopeitdoes



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Family Issues, High School AU, Identity Issues, Issues, M/M, Mighty Nein, Modern AU, No Smut, Soltyce Academy-mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2020-10-10 03:23:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20521142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roadworkaheaduhyeahisurehopeitdoes/pseuds/roadworkaheaduhyeahisurehopeitdoes
Summary: Caleb and Nott are two high school seniors going to Exandria High for the first time, friendless and scared. They emerge from the hellhole with new friendships and new lessons learned.now on a biweekly update schedule





	1. Caleb

**Author's Note:**

> whats up gang, im back on my bullshit.  
no warnings for this chapter uwu

It was the first day at Exandria high, and neither Caleb nor Nott wanted to be there. They had been found by a social worker back in early August, and put into a foster home. They were told they would attend Exandria. Neither had wanted to. Nott saw it as an opportunity to get into even more trouble, and Caleb didn’t have the best experience with schools. Nott had been in juvie for the past three years, and Caleb had left Soltryce Academy a year ago, and the mental hospital six months ago. He had been caught pickpocketing, where he met Nott and they had gotten out at the same time. And now they were here, in front of the doors of Exandria High School, in Nicodronas. Students wove around them, talking and laughing and yelling to their friends. 

“It will be fine.” Caleb told Nott, who was looking anxiously around at all the people. “Just… try to keep out of trouble.”

“Yeah, ok,” Nott muttered. “Let’s go.” They walked into the door and up the stairs to the senior wing. The people here were taller, their voices deeper. They were unafraid, and grouped themselves with ease, never going into another’s group. Everything was already sorted out for them. Caleb walked quicker to the end of the hall. Nott’s and his homeroom was at the end of the hallway, almost last. He checked the number. 217. He took a breath and walked in. 

The first thing he noticed was that the class was mostly guys. He didn’t know why, but he saw a sea of tan hair cropped short and sports shorts with assorted jerseys. The five or so girls in the class had mostly blond hair, except one with black hair, and they all wore either oversized shirts or crop tops with short jean shorts. Neither him, with his long coat and long sleeve shirt and pants, or Nott, with her entirely grey outfit of a tanktop and pants fit in. Most eyes turned to him and Nott as they entered, with questioning looks before turning back to their conversation. There was a seating chart drawn up on the board, and Nott Brave and Caleb Widogast were nowhere near each other in the alphabet. Caleb took a seat in the back of the room next to a human boy with tan hair and a jersey. Surprise. He watched Nott sit next to an Elven girl with blond hair in two perfect dutch braids. She gave her a condescending look before turning to talk with another girl. Nott gave Caleb a look across the room. Caleb returned it. 

“What’s your name?” The kid next to him asked. He sounded nonchalant, relaxed, but Caleb could see interest sparking in his eyes.

“Uh, Caleb,” he replied

“I’m Leo. Nice to meet you.” He turned to talk with a brown-haired halfling kid.

The teacher got up from his corner desk and went to the front of the room. “Hello, I’m Mr. Leggert, and I am your homeroom and for some of you, chemistry, teacher. Welcome to Exandria! I hope you have a great school year. Your locker numbers are on your desks. When I call it, top lockers may go. If you have an odd number, you’re a top locker. Any questions?” The room looked blankly and silently at him, like he had just recited elvish poetry and they were dwarves. He smiled, unfazed and apparently used to this. “Alrighty, tops, you can go!” Caleb got up, grabbing his backpack. Leo looked at his and groaned. “A bottom locker. Again,” he muttered under his breath. 

All the lockers were a darkish red color, and they all had a place to lock it but no lock. People shoved stuff into lockers, but nobody locked it. Apparently, they trusted each other. Caleb opened his locker and removed his binders and notebooks, placing them up against the flimsy metal wall of lockers 205 and 207. He shoved his backpack on the other side and swung it shut. A small goblin face looked up at him. “Hi Caleb!” Nott said. “I’m your bottom locker.”

“Hi, Nott. I’m your top locker,” he replied. 

“Yeah, you are. What took you? Mr. Leggert is handing out schedules. I took yours from your desk, here.” Nott handed him a black and white printout with a schedule on the top half and information on the bottom half. While he looked at it, Nott put her stuff in her locker. They compared after she was done. They only had honors common together. Nott had honors calculus, honors common, forensics, History of Wildemount, Elvish, and AP chem, and Caleb had AP Calculus, Honors Common, AP Magical Theory, Exandrian History, Halfling, AP physics.

They went back to homeroom, parting their separate ways. Caleb sat back down next to Leo, who was looking over his schedule with disdain. He looked up when Caleb sat. “What do you have?” Leo squinted a bit. “Are you new? I don’t think I’ve seen you.”

Caleb’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m from the, uh, near Rexxentrum.” He handed Leo his schedule, anxious to end the conversation. 

Leo looked it over and whistled. “Three AP classes? Damn, and APMT? You must be like, either really fuckin’ smart, or completely over your head. You know that’s taught by Mercer, right? He’s really good, but really strict. I heard he failed, like, half of his class one year. He also runs drama. You a drama kid?” He talked very fast, but was strangely good at articulation, and all his words were clear.

“Uh, no, I’m not a drama kid.” There was an awkward pause. “Are you?”

Leo looked taken aback. Shit. “Me? No. Never, like, why would I do that?” He flushed pink. “Actually, can I tell you a secret? I kinda want to audition. Like, I don’t know, it could be fun?” He mulled it over. “Yeah, maybe not. I don’t know.” His embarrassed expression turned to fear in a split second. “You won’t tell anyone, right?”

“Um, no, I won’t.” Caleb thought over his next words carefully. “I think, if you like something, you should try it. You never know,” he said slowly. He thought desperately about what he knew about social interaction. Did he ask a question? Tell Leo something? He went with an old, easy tactic. Turning the question around. “Can I see your schedule?”

“Sure!” Leo handed over his schedule. It had somehow already gotten crumpled around the edges, and  _ Leo Wicks  _ scrawled in horrid handwriting in the corner. He had honors calculus, AP common, Introduction to Magical Theory, Exandrian History, Dwarvish, and Honors Earth Science. “We have Exhis together. But nothing else.”

Caleb assumed that Exhis was Exandrian History. “Uh, who teaches introduction to magical theory?” he asked.

“Mr. McElroy, man. He’s real chill, runs Swords and Somatics after school. Nerdy, but won’t give you detention.”

Their conversation was cut short by a loud buzz on the speaker. A crackly voice started up. “Hello, and welcome to Exandria high! I’m Mr. Foster, your principal, and these are your morning announcements.” He cleared his throat. “If you are interested in Volleyball, see Mrs. Ray after school on Wednesday. Any questions can go to Mrs. Ray in room 227 or Mr. Martinez in room 130. If you want to be in the drama show, or want to help out backstage, there will be an informational meeting in the auditorium. See Mr. Mercer in room 219 or Mr. Max in room 203 for any questions. The drama show is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! That's it! Have a magnificent Monday.” 

“See ya, Caleb!” Leo said, already halfway out the room. “Have a great day!”


	2. Nott

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nott's first three periods, and the introduction of Beau and Jester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's up gays it's me the Maker of Bad Decisions  
im blown away with how many people have read this!!! thank you!!  
i have auditions tomorow im so scared halp thank  
no warnings

The girl Nott had sat next to in homeroom was, unfortunately, also in her calculus class. And sat next to her. Again. The girl was perfect, tall, with blond hair and perfect skin, and as soon as another girl walked in the room, the girl yelled “Callie!” and went over to talk to her, leaving Nott to stew in her hatred. Nott sat there, angrily bouncing her leg, until a human woman walked into the room, promptly sitting on a stool in front of the classroom and introducing herself as Ms. Gesslie. She had a cheery, happy demeanor and said many things along the lines of ‘great year’ and ‘fun class’ that Nott didn’t believe for a second. The class passed slowly, and Nott got angrier by the second. This was all dumb and stupid and Nott didn’t want to be here. It was all the stupid social worker who had pulled them off the streets’ fault. What a bitch. Nott hated him. The next class, honors common, passed quicker, but there was assigned seating and her and Caleb were nowhere near each other.

Nott went to Forensics fuming. She stomped down the wing and out into the Elective wing, anger pouring off her in waves. She stormed into the class, slammed her stuff down on a desk, and crossed her arms, glaring at the board.

“Hello!” A short blue tiefling girl with silver jewelry decorating her curved horns sat down next to her. “What’s your name? I’m Jester.” Nott almost glared at her, but stopped. Cheer and bubbliness flowed from the girl. There was a wide smile on her face, her pointy white teeth shining. Everything about her was bright and genuine, and it was almost impossible to stay angry at her. 

Nott stopped glaring. “Nott.” 

Jester smiled at her. “Nice to meet you, Nott! I can tell we’ll be good friends. You weren’t here last year, right?”

“No. Nice to meet you, Jester.” 

“Alright! Quiet down! Everybody!” A old halfling came into the room, and stood on a stool, rapping a stick on a desk. “Welcome to my class! I’m Mr. Anderson. It’s my 18th year teaching forensics. I was a detective with the Dynasty for 20 years. In this classroom, cheating will not be tolerated. You will listen to me and do your work. Late work will not be accepted. If you respect me, I will respect you.”

“He seems nice,” Jester whispered. Nott scoffed.

Mr. Anderson’s head whipped toward their table. “No speaking while I am speaking!” He narrowed his eyes. “What is your name, young lady?”

“Jester Lavorre, sir.” She put on an innocent smile. “I’m very sorry for talking. I won’t do it again!”

He grunted, pleased. “Now, we are going to do a introductory activity. I want you to work with the person next to you. Look at them, and deduce what you can. Then, introduce yourself as them. You have ten minutes. Go.”

“I’ll go first. Jester said. She leaned forward and squinted. After what felt like an eon, Nott slowly sinking into herself on instinct, she leaned back and cleared her throat. “Hello, my name is Nott.” Her voice sounded slightly similar to Nott’s, but still accented. “I’m seventeen. I like to collect things. I’m kinda fidgety. I’m new here.” Nott was surprised at her accuracy. “That’s… quite right, actually. My turn.” Nott looked at her, closing one eye and then the other, then stood up to look above her and sat down. She gave off really positive vibes, and looked like the kind of person who would always get into trouble with you. It was impossible to hate her. All her supplies seemed to be candy or sweet themed, with a lollipop pen and assorted pastry notebook lying on the table. 

Nott took a deep breath, and did her best impression of Jester’s accent. “Hi, I’m Jester, I’m seventeen, I like sweets and mischief, and I like-” Nott squinted at her shirt, a bright green shirt with a pink logo. “-the traveler?” 

Jester laughed. “That was so good!” 

“What’s the traveler?” Nott asked.

Jester’s eyes lit up. “Oh, the traveler is-” A loud bell cut her off. 

“Alright! You should be finished! Now that you know each other better, get out your notebooks and a writing utensil. We’re taking notes.”

There was a collective groan as papers shuffled. Nott sighed and grabbed her black notebook, preparing to take notes. The lesson droned on, but Nott and Jester whispered and laughed the entire time, much to the teacher’s dismay.

When the lesson ended, Nott and Jester packed up their stuff, shoving their empty notebooks into their respective stacks of binders and folders. They left the classroom chatting about Mr. Anderson.

“Beau!” Jester called to a girl walking down the hallway. “Come over here!” The girl walked over them from where she had been talking to a tall girl with black and white braided hair, looking slightly pissed off. Nott slowly edged behind Jester. The girl was really intimidating, her dark brown hair tied up, the sides shaved. She wore navy athletic high-waisted leggings and a blue crop top, and was idly unwrapping a blue wrap from her fists.

“Hey, Jester. How was forensics?” She managed to come of as completely uncaring to the answer to her question.

Jester ignored it and replied “Great! I made a new friend!” She moved so Nott was no longer behind her. “This is Nott. Nott, this is Beau.” She dropped her voice to a stage whisper. “I know she seems really scary but she’s actually really cool.” 

Beau raised an eyebrow. “I can hear you, you know.”

Jester smiled. “Well, it’s true. Anyways, Nott, do you want to sit with us at lunch? Fjord, Beau, and Molly will be there. Maybe Yasha.”

Nott looked uncomfortable. “Well, I was going to sit next to my friend Caleb. Another day?”

“Caleb can sit with us too! I can’t wait to meet him.”

Nott rubbed her neck. “I’ll ask him. Thanks, Jester.” The hall was almost completely cleared out, so Jester, Nott, and Beau made their ways to lunch together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a couple things:  
i do not hate beau. i dont know if that was the vibe that came across, but that aint it. i love beau.  
im,,, bad at writing Casual Human Interaction dont @ me  
anyway see ya be gay do crime


	3. Caleb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb's AP Magical Theory class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whats up lesbians im back and ready to post this chapter without reading it since when i wrote it at 11:00 at night

Caleb’s first two classes passed without event. He sat and took minimal notes in his notebook, but mostly he just observed the people around him, seeing which ones to avoid, which were basically all of them, and which ones he could talk to. (None of them.) He was already tired by AP Magical Theory, and though it was the class he was the most interested in, he just wanted to fall asleep on his notebook.

When he entered the classroom, he stood at the back with the fifteen other kids in the class. A seating chart was projected on the board,and Caleb found his seat. The classroom was set up with black tables on the sides of the classroom that held two people, all facing forward. He was sitting next to a human with black curly hair and dark brown skin who smiled at him. He smiled back, warily, and took out his notebook, preparing for another lesson of quietly taking notes. 

The teacher walked in front of his desk. He was human, with shoulder length brown hair. “Hello, AP Magical Theory, and welcome. I’m Mr. Mercer, the magical studies director for Nicodronas, and the theatre director at Exandria High. It’s my tenth year teaching, and my seventh at Exandria High. I hope to have a great year with all of you.” He sat on the desk and leaned forward, steepling his fingers under his chin. “We’re now going to do an activity to get to know each other, and me, better. Everyone circle up in the center of the room, please.” There were screeches of chairs as the small class moved to the center of the room. Mr. Mercer got off the desk and stood in the circle. “Everyone go around and say your name, age, and pronouns.”

A dwarven boy piped up. “What’s a pronoun?” He asked.

“Pronouns are what you are called by, like he, her, or them. For example, I’m Mr. Mercer, I’m 37, and I use he/him/his pronouns. He turned to his left, where a drow boy was standing. “Would you like to go next?”

The boy nodded, his purple eyes glinting. He had dark grey, purplish skin and short white hair. He was good-looking, Caleb had to admit. “Hello. I’m Essek, 17 years old, and I use he/him/his pronouns.” He turned to the girl on his left. 

She looked up at the group. She had chestnut hair, blue eyes, and summer-tanned skin. She spoke quietly. “Hi. I’m Ellia. I’m seventeen and I use she/her/hers pronouns.” She quickly looked down again when she was done.

The boy next to her was a half-orc with blue and green skin and black hair. He ran his hand though his hair, and stood up a bit taller, not that he needed too. He was muscularly built and tall, and Caleb didn’t doubt that he could probably beat the shit out of him. “Hey, I’m Fjord, seventeen, he/him/his pronouns.” He had a remarkable accent that Caleb didn’t know the origin of, though vaguely reminded him of horses. 

The girl next to him introduced herself, but Caleb’s mind was already wandering aimlessly. A sharp tap to his shoulder brought him back. He almost jumped, startled. “Uh, hi, I’m Caleb, seventeen, he/him/his,” he muttered quickly.

The person next to him started talking. It was the same person he sat next to. “Hello, I’m Morgan. I’m seventeen. I use they/them/theirs pronouns.” They ran their hand through their short hair, smiling cockily. 

Mr. Mercer smiled and clapped his hands together. “Now, we’ll play a short game. Go around, and say your name and one noun that starts with the first letter of your name. The first person will say not only their name and noun, but the person after them will say their name and object as well as the person before them’s name and object. The last person has to say everyone’s. Any volunteers to start?”

Morgan’s hand immediately shot up, before the other five hands. 

“Alright. Morgan, take it away,” Mr. Mercer said.

“Morgan, uh, medallion.” They jerked their thumb at Mr. Mercer. Wonderful. Caleb would be last. He paid very close attention this time, committing each name and object to memory. 

When it came time for his turn, he said his name and noun (cat), then quickly recited each person. 

Mr. Mercer smiled at him when he was finished. “You have quite a remarkable memory, Caleb.”

“Thank you,” he murmured, flushing. He was not used to receiving compliments, especially from teachers. 

“Alright,” Mr. Mercer said, addressing the class. “Let’s go sit down. We do have some rules to go over.” Everyone returned to their seats, already preparing to zone out during the rules lecture they had received in every other class.

Mr. Mercer started. “I assume you have already received this speech, so I will skip over the basic rules. You know, respect others and the materials we use, be responsible, yeah, yeah. But we do have some special rules for the magic classroom specifically. Now, this class is called magical theory, and we will study the complexities of magical theory, but most of our work will be hands-on magical learning. Please raise your hand if you can cast any spell or cantrip.”

Caleb raised his hand, and looked around. The only other people with raised hands were Fjord and Essek. “Would any of you care to demonstrate a spell?” 

Caleb nodded hesitantly, and he heard Essek say, “sure” as Fjord also nodded.

“Excellent! Caleb, would you like to go first?” 

Caleb nodded slightly, realizing that there was no way to back out. He summoned four dancing lights, having them hover in a diamond formation in the air. He moved them around, floating one over to Mr. Mercer, then blinked them out. “That was wonderful! Can you do anything else?” Mr. Mercer asked. Caleb really didn’t want to, but he snapped his fingers and frumpkin appeared on his shoulder. He stroked between his ears before snapping again and making him disappear. “Wow! While I’m not sure cats are allowed at school, that was definitely impressive.” He turned to Fjord. “How about you, Fjord?”

Fjord chuckled. “Well, I’m not sure I could summon a cat, but I can do some magic.” He held out his hand. A large feather floated above his palm, lazily turning.He waved his hand and the feather turned into a pen. He pretended to click the top, and a clicking sound rang across the room. He turned the pencil into a miniature lion, which let out a roar. Fjord closed his hand and the image disappeared. 

“Well, that was very impressive. The sound was perfectly timed. Anything else?” Mr. Mercer asked. 

“That’s it, Mr. Mercer.” Fjord replied.

“That’s fine. Essek?”

Essek flicked his wrist with a flourish. A stack of binders and notebooks appeared in his hand, and he set them on his desk. “Nothing else I can do in this room, I’m afraid.”

“That was excellent, Essek, a very helpful spell. Anyone else?” Nobody spoke up. Mr. Mercer checked the clock. “Ok, let’s get through the rest of the rules before you go. First, please respect each other’s magical abilities. Not everyone has the same abilities, and nobody is better or worse for it. Second, please check with me and stay after if you plan on casting a spell for the first time, or experimenting with spells. It’s very dangerous, but very educational when done right. Third, please don’t abuse your magical abilities. Anyone caught using magic to get out of class or work will be immediately given detention. And lastly, just use common sense. Trust your instincts, because you are your best judge.” For some reason, Caleb doubted that. He glanced at the clock again. “Now it’s really time to go. Thank you and have a wonderful day!” His last words were cut off by chairs screeching and chatter. Caleb saw Essek flick his wrist again, and his binders and folders disappeared. Caleb gathered his things and made his way to the door.

As he was leaving, Mr. Mercer called out to him. “Caleb! Can you stay just a moment?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading y'all   
follow me on tumblr @leo-nid-as or on insta @leo__nid_as  
ight ima head out


	4. Caleb (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew! I am finally posting! This isn't the full chapter, but i needed motivation and also needed to post lmao.  
enjoy!

Caleb whipped his head around. Mr. Mercer was sitting at his desk, looking at him expectantly. He froze mid gathering his things, almost dropping his binders.  _ Why did I have to do magic? _ He didn’t want to stand out in any way, and he had gone and done some apparently pretty good magic. Goddamnit. He walked over to Mr. Mercer, each step careful and deliberate, and sat down on a stool in front of his desk. Mr. Mercer shuffled some papers, then once there was nobody in the room, he put them down and looked at him. Caleb almost withered under his stare.

“Caleb, you have shown great talent with magic,” he started. Caleb, without knowing, readied himself to run or attack. That was to similar to what Trent had said to him, Astrid, and Eodwulf, before he took them away.

“Have you considered applying to the Soltryce Academy? In Rexxentrum?”

Caleb froze again. He was only vaguely aware of Mr. Mercer’s questioning gaze. The Soltryce Academy. He had escaped that place, and he was never going back. 

“No, I haven’t,  _ danke, auf wiedersehen, _ ” Caleb muttered, quickly getting up and grabbing his stuff. He almost ran out of the classroom, rushing past the couple people in the hallway trailing to lunch. He went to his locker quickly, in such a rush he almost slammed it into Nott’s head. 


	5. Mr. Mercer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Mercer reminisces over last year's students

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehehehe time for me to post my biyearly chapter then fuck off for a decade

Mr. Mercer looked worriedly off to the door. Caleb had seemed very anxious. Maybe it was just first day nerves. He sat back in his chair, sighing. He looked over to a photo on his desk. It was of seven students, who had graduated last year. In the back were the half-elf twins, smirking like they had all the secrets to the world. Next to them was a half-elf girl with short red hair framing her face, the antler headband she always wore poking out. In front there was a human boy with white hair, his arm resting on the gnome’s next to him’s head. The gnome was in the middle of rolling his eyes, but her still had his trademark grin. Behind everyone, a huge goliath smiled happily with a white-haired gnome on his shoulders. They had all been so happy the day the picture was taken. It was near the end of school, and the seven of them, who had been awarded the Student Excellence Award, had gathered in the schoolyard. He missed their bright presences already. Mr. Mercer sighed and picked it up, taking the picture out of its frame. Behind it were six notes, all written to him by the students. He had read them many times over the summer.

The first one read in a fancy script:

Dear Mr. Mercer,

Thank you so much for everything throughout high school. I can’t say I’m sad to be going, but I will miss Hiking with you. Have an excellent year,

Vex’ahlia

Vex had been one of his brightest students, always taking challenges and rising up, and a prominent member of the Hiking elective.

The second one read in almost the same script:

Mr. Mercer,

I can’t say how grateful I am too you. You helped me so much the past four years. I’ll keep it short, but I will miss you so much.

Vax’ildan

Vax had been Vex’s other half, always around her. Mr. Mercer had actually first met him trying to steal some coffee from the teacher lounge. He was impressed by how quiet and stealthy the fourteen year old had been, but still gave him detention.

The next one was almost preposterous in its handwriting, but with a flair to it that made it look like very out of practice calligraphy. It said:

Dear Mr. Mercer

Thanks. Thank you. I don’t really know what to say, to thank you for how you helped me, in more ways than one. I will miss you.

Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III

Percy. He had been brilliant, confident. Mercer had found him one day, in an empty classroom choking on tears. He learned of his circumstances, and referred him to a therapist. His duty as a teacher.

The next one was easier to read, in simple handwriting:

Mr. Mercer, thanks for everything. I miss you already, take good care of my tomatoes! From, Keyleth

There were tear stains on the paper, and it was clear that it had been erased and rewritten many times. In the end, it was bright, like Keyleth had been. Despite her circumstances, she had done excellently in her classes, excelling at agriculture and APMT.

Mercer, thanks. Very helpful and stuff. I miss ya, I guess. Sayonara, Scanlan.

ps. Grog says bye

Ah, Scanlan. Always ready with a quick joke or witty quip for any situation. He had been exceptionally skilled at magic, though not so exceptionally skilled at turning in his work on time. His friend Grog hadn't been in his class, but had been in his homeroom. He had been a goliath, a strong, burly fellow who hadn't excelled in academics but was the school's sports star.

To Mr. Mercer,

I didn't exactly have you as a teacher, and I don't know you as well as the rest of my friends, but you truly are a shining example of this school. We all miss you, and hope you miss us.

Kindly, Pike Trickfoot.

Mr. Mercer hadn't known Pike well, but he had heard the other teahcers talking about her. Despite her small stature, she was a furious athlete and steadfast leader of the schools' self-defense club. He had heard rumors that she could wield a mace viciously. He wasn't sure he believed them, but he wouldn't put it past her.

He folded up the notes and tucked them carefully behind the photograph, before sighing and turning back to his computer. This was a brand new year, and he was determined to make it one of his best.


	6. Caleb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the group finally gets together, with a side of Dairon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok. i said i would update soon like 2 months ago then i never did bc writing character interaction hard. thanks to everyone that kept commenting and encouraged me to write more, y'all really helped. i'm planning to update once every two weeks now, and the chapters will probably be longer. thanks for reading!
> 
> another side note: i started writing this chapter in like december. the beginning is much more clunky and awkward bc my writing has improved greatly.

“Oh, sorry, didn’t see you there, Nott,” he muttered, shoving his stuff into his locker. He closed it and looked around. He was surprised to see two people standing around Nott, a short blue tiefling girl and a strong human girl.

“Hi!” The tiefling said. “You’re Caleb, right? Do you want to eat lunch with us? I met Nott in forensics.”

Nott looked at Caleb. “She’s very nice.”

The human spoke up. “What’s your name? Caleb?”

“Uh, yes,” he replied, “What’s your name?”

“Beau,” she said, squinting. “Are you in my homeroom?”

“No, I do not think so,” Caleb replied.

“Oh. Must have been another scruffy looking guy.”

There was a pause, before Jester said, “Let’s go to lunch!” She started to walk down the hallway, and the rest of them followed.

They got to the lunchroom around five minutes late and entered the loud cafeteria as a lunch monitor shot them a warning look. They slumped off into the crowd. Jester led them to a table in the middle of the room, where two people were already sitting. One was a half-orc, with blue-green skin and a scar over his eye. He had a black undercut and was wearing a grey muscle tee. He looked vaguely intimidating. Caleb definitely would not want to cross him. He was talking to a very tall, skinny firbolg with grey skin and long pink hair, shaved on one side. The firbolg had a blue shirt with a pink cherry tree on it and all in all looked very pleasant and mild, despite his irregular height. The half-orc looked up when they came and said with an accent that made Caleb think of horses for some reason, “Hey, Jester. Hi, Beau. Who are your friends?” He sounded very polite, but there was something about him that Caleb couldn't quite place.

“Hi, Fjord, this is Nott-” she gestured towards Nott, who was trying to hide behind Caleb’s leg.

She crept out and said, “Hi.”

“-and Caleb.” Jester gestured to Caleb, and he stepped forward a bit.

“Hi.”

“They’re going to sit with us! If that’s ok with you guys.” She looked at Nott and Caleb. Nott glanced up at Caleb, who glanced down at her, their eyes locking in a silent conversation.

“Yes, it’s fine with us.” Caleb said.

“Great,” said the half-orc. “Our table has been so empty since Molly changed schools. And I don’t think Yasha changed schools, but I haven’t seen her in a bit.” He looked at Nott and Caleb’s confused expression. “Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. Molly and Yasha went to our school last year. I’m Fjord, he/him and this is Caduceus, he/they. I assume you’ve met Beau and Jester?”

“Yeah,” Nott said. “Jester’s in one of my classes. I’m Nott, she/her. This is Caleb, he/him.”

“Nice to meet you.” Fjord moved over, making room for them. They awkwardly sat down and pulled out their lunchboxes, sitting slightly too close to each other.

Caleb looked down at his food with marked distaste. It was a ham-and-tomato sandwich and a gala apple. Caleb didn't eat pig and hated the texture of gala apples. He sighed and pushed it back into the bag.

Nott shot him a glance, but didn't comment as she wolfed down her own apple. There was an awkward silence at the table as the six of them ate, unsure of what to talk about. After about five minutes, Fjord put down his bag of beef jerky and cleared his throat.

"So, Caleb and Nott, was it? What brings you to Nicodronas?"

There was pause before he cleared his throat. "It is, ah, a long story," Caleb mumbled, fiddling with the edge of his lunch bag. _Redirect._ "Have you been here long?"

"I'm not from Nicodronas, no," said Fjord. "Jester is, though." He gestured to her.

"I am!" Jester said. "My mom is the Ruby of the Sea! Have you met her?"

"No," Nott said. "I am supposed to have?"

"Well, no, but she is really famous. She works at the Lavish Chateau? Have you heard of it?"

Nott and Caleb both thought for a second. "No, I do not think we have; what is that?" Caleb asked.

"It's my mom's work! She's a really good singer and she does performances all the time. You should check it out." She took a satisfied sip of her milk.

"Jester, is that the most appropriate thing to advertise right now? I can _feel_ Dairon's eyes on my back," Beau said, glancing over to where the elf had their eyes focused on Beau.

Jester pouted at Beau. "Sex work is real work, and if Mx. Dairon has a problem, then they can-" Beau raised an eyebrow. Jester's words trailed off as the teacher walked over to their table.

Dairon walked up to their table. "I see you are getting along well with our newest students, Beauregard." Their accented voice stood out over the cacophony of the lunch room. "That is good." She turned to the new students and put out their hand. "I am Mx. Dairon, they/she, and you are Caleb and Nott."

Caleb automatically shook their hand. "Yes, we are. He/him."

Nott stood up on the bench to reach Mx. Dairon's height and shook their hand. "Yep. She/her. How do you know our names?"

Dairon pursed her lip and gave Nott a long stare. "I work in the office, Ms. Brave. We are all told about new students."

Nott sank back into her seat. "Yeah, ok," she muttered.

Dairon clapped their hand on Beau's shoulder. "Can you meet in my office after school today, Beauregard?"

Beau rolled her eyes. "Sure."

Dairon decidedly ignored Beau's attitude and smiled. "Wonderful." They walked back to their post, boots clicking on the floor.

Beau groaned and leaned back. "First day of school, and Dairon's already coming for me. I'm so excited for this year."

Jester patted her on the back. "You'll be fine, Beau. They probably just have some super-secret-nerd mission for you in your super-secret-nerd club."

Beau fell on to Jester, head against her forehead. Caleb almost shot up before Beau said, "Oh, Jester, my princess, my one and only, my true love, why do you mock me so? Why must you attack me with your words?"

Jester laughed and stroked Beau's hair. "I'm not mocking you, Beau. Your super-secret-nerd club is really cool." She leaned down and pecked Beau on the side of her head. Caleb watched as Beau's face, turned away from Jester, flushed. She seemed to be holding back a smile as Jester hugged her. 

Eventually, Beau wiggled her way out of Jester's hug, no longer blushing heavily. She threw an arm around Jester, and the two started to talk quietly. 

Caleb leaned over to Fjord. "Are they dating?" he whispered.

Fjord rolled his eyes. "Apparently not."

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr at @leo-nid-as or insta/twitter at @leo__nid_as or don't lmao dont care  
thanks for putting up with this shit fam love y'all  
this is completely unedited and the only test was my friend bored in civics so feel free to criticize me completely also yeah,,, bye


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